Happy Monday, loopers! Here are this week’s most exciting new releases (subscribe to our weekly New Music newsletter here)…
1. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE — THE EVIL HAS LANDED
The Evil Has Landed is the second single from Queens of the Stone Age’s upcoming 7th album, Villains, which is out August 25th & follows up 2013’s …Like Clockwork. It will be joined on the new album by the recently released lead single, The Way You Used To Do.
Here’s what frontman Josh Homme had to say about the new album:
“The title Villains isn’t a political statement. It has nothing to do with Trump or any of that shit. It’s simply (1) a word that looks fantastic and (2) a comment on the three versions of every scenario: yours, mine and what actually happened. Everyone needs someone or something to rail against — their villain — same as it ever was. You can’t control that. The only thing you can really control is when you let go.
There are some slower moments but I like to dance, man, and whether it’s Eagles of Death Metal or Queens or Them Crooked Vultures there’s no reason not to conjoin rock’n’roll and dance and hallelujah and darkness and all that in one thing. In a world of desperately going for ‘likes’ I think ‘Villains’ is more like, ‘We’ll take the dislikes, we’ll take all the outcasts’. This album is here to do bad guy stuff.”
Villains was produced by the legendary Amy Winehouse, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga producer Mark Ronson, who has brought his unique, “untempo” sound. Or as Homme puts it, the album sounds like: “a panther in the trees leaping out of the darkness”.
Check out the rather amazing Villains album trailer here.
2. KELELA — LMK
LMK is the lead single to R&B singer-songwriter Kelela’s much-anticipated debut album, Take Me Apart, which is out October 6th and follows up 2015’s excellent Hallucinogen EP and her 2013 mixtape Cut 4 Me.
Here’s what Kelela had to say about her new album:
“Despite it being a personal record, the politics of my identity informs how it sounds and how I choose to articulate my vulnerability and strength. I am a black woman, a second-generation Ethiopian-American, who grew up in the ’burbs listening to R&B, jazz and Björk. All of it comes out in one way or another.”
If you’re new to Kelela and would like to hear more, we highly recommend listening to Rewind, A Message, Guns & Synths, Enemy and Scales, which appeared on Solange’s stunning 2016 album A Seat at the Table.
3. THE HORRORS — SOMETHING TO REMEMBER ME BY
Something To Remember Me By is the 2nd single from Mercury Prize nominated indie-rock band The Horrors’ much-anticipated 5th album, V, which is out September 22nd and follows up 2014’s Luminous.
V was recorded with Adele, Rihanna, FKA twigs and London Grammar producer Paul Epworth at London’s The Church Studios and will also feature the recently released lead single, Machine.
If you’re new to the band and want to hear more, we highly recommend listening to So Now You Know, Who Can Say, I See You, Sea Within A Sea and the glorious Still Life.
Also, be sure to check out frontman Faris Badwan’s surprisingly funky turn on Hercules & Love Affair’s Controller from earlier this year. It’s a beauty!
4. THE NATIONAL — CARIN AT THE LIQUOR STORE
Carin At The Liquor Store is the 3rd single from The National’s upcoming 7th album, Sleep Well Beast, which is out September 8th and follows up 2013’s excellent Trouble Will Find Me.
Sleep Well Beast will also feature the recently released Guilty Party and the excellent lead single, The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness.
To coincide with the album’s release the band have also announced a World Tour, with a bit of a bonus if you live in The U.S. or Canada: every ticket sold for their North American tour comes with a free digital copy of the album, which will be delivered on the album’s release (not quite sure why this isn’t being extended to other countries, but hopefully there will be some other treat in its place).
If you want to see if they’re coming to your town, head on over to the Concerts tab on their LetsLoop profile to check and pick up some tickets.
Also, be sure to check out guitarist’s Bryce Dessner’s Planetarium project with Sufjan Stevens and contemporary classical music composer Nico Muhly. If you’d like a quick taste, we highly recommend listening to the album’s first two singles: Mercury and Saturn.
5. ALICE GLASS — WITHOUT LOVE
Former Crystal Castles frontwoman Alice Glass is back with a new track called Without Love, her first new song since releasing her debut solo single, STILLBIRTH, in 2015.
Without Love is produced by HEALTH’s Jupiter Keyes and is expected to feature on her much-anticipated debut solo album later this year.
Here’s what Alice had to say about her new music:
“Some songs sound more like being eaten by fire ants and some songs are like being slowly consumed by a snake”
Yikes 😱! She also said that the most surprising thing about the album is “that you can hear my voice clearly”.
If you’re wondering what Crystal Castles are up to now, last year Ethan Kath released his first post-Glass album, Amnesty (I), with a new singer (who sounds remarkably like Alice, btw) called Edith Frances. If you’d like a quick taste check out the album’s lead single, Frail.
6. DESTROYER — SKY’S GREY
Sky’s Grey is the lead single to Canadian indie-rock band Destroyer’s upcoming 11th album, ken, which is out October 20th and follows up 2015’s stunning Poison Season.
Here’s what frontman Dan Bejar had to say about his new album:
“Sometime last year, I discovered that the original name for The Wild Ones (one of the great English-language ballads of the last 100 years or so) was “Ken.” I had an epiphany, I was physically struck by this information. In an attempt to hold on to this feeling, I decided to lift the original title of that song and use it for my own purposes. It’s unclear to me what that purpose is, or what the connection is. I was not thinking about Suede when making this record. I was thinking about the last few years of the Thatcher era. Those were the years when music first really came at me like a sickness, I had it bad. Maybe “The Wild Ones” speaks to that feeling, probably why Suede made no sense in America. I think “ken” also means “to know”.”
ken was produced by Black Mountain’s Josh Wells, who has been Destroyer’s drummer since 2012.
If you’re new to Destroyer & would like to hear more, we highly recommend listening to Kaputt, Chinatown, Times Square, Dream Lover, Girl in a Sling, Savage Night At The Opera, European Oils and Painter In Your Pocket.
7. LIAM GALLAGHER — FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH
You’ve gotta love Liam, only he can promote his latest single as “an apology, to everyone” at the same time as throwing some serious shade at his brother, Noel.
For What It’s Worth is the third single from former Oasis and Beady Eye frontman Liam Gallagher’s upcoming debut solo album, As You Were, which is out October 6th and will also feature the recently released Chinatown and lead single Wall Of Glass.
Here’s what Liam had to say about his latest single:
“Obviously I’ve made a lot of mistakes. That’s life. I guess it’s is an apology to whoever. I’ve pissed a lot of people off. But I’m certainly not gonna write a song for each and every one of them. There’s one there. Fuckin’ deal with it and move on.”
As You Were was produced by Radiohead, Mumford & Sons and Circa Waves producer Dan Grech-Marguerat and Beck & Adele producer Greg Kurstin.
8. THE KILLERS — RUN FOR COVER
It’s been five years since The Killers last released an album, but the Las Vegas indie-rockers are officially back and have announced details to their much-anticipated 5th album, Wonderful Wonderful.
Run For Cover is the second single to surface from the new album and will be joined by the recently released lead single, The Man. Wonderful Wonderful is out September 22nd and follows up 2012’s Battle Born.
If you’re wondering what the band have been up to since 2012, they’ve not been totally idle: last year they released anniversary editions of 2006’s Sam’s Town & 2004’s Hot Fuss and in 2013 they released a Greatest Hits package called Direct Hits.
In addition to that frontman Brandon Flowers also released his 2nd solo album, The Desired Effect, in 2015.
If you’re wondering what to expect from the new album, according to a press release, Wonderful Wonderful is “shaping up to be our most sonically forward-thinking record yet; an LP bursting with all of the blazing choruses and arena-filling anthems”.
And if that doesn’t get you excited, the band have also confirmed that it will feature guest appearances from Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) and Brian Eno, alongside production from Bleachers and fun.’s Jack Antonoff.
9. DAUGHTER — BURN IT DOWN
Burn It Down is the lead single to English folk-rock band Daughter’s upcoming album, Music From Before The Storm, which is out September 1st and follows up 2015’s excellent Not To Disappear.
Music From Before The Storm isn’t just a traditional album, it’s a 13-song soundtrack for the upcoming episodic video game Life is Strange: Before the Storm.
Here’s what frontwoman Elena Tonra had to say about their first soundtrack:
“We are so proud to have written the soundtrack for Life Is Strange: Before the Storm. It was our first experience working on an original soundtrack, and we are so honoured to have been given the opportunity to work with the team.
We loved the story on first read as it centres around realistic female lead characters who are emotional, intelligent, sensitive and badass in equal measure. I think the characters themselves have really inspired the soundscapes we have created. It was a pleasure to be involved.”
If you’re new to Daughter and would like to hear more, we highly recommend listening to Youth, Numbers, Doing The Right Thing, Candles, Still, Home, Medicine and their excellent cover of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky.
10. WEAVES — #53
#53 is the lead single to Canadian indie-rock band Weaves’ upcoming 2nd album, Wide Open, which is out October 6th and follows up their Polaris Music Prize nominated debut album, Weaves.
Here’s what frontwoman Jasmyn Burke had to say about her new album:
“It felt right to try to represent my own experience in the world while knowing that everyone in my age group is poor or having a tough time with life in one way or another, so I was thinking about how to blow those feelings up into these kinds of songs. Blowing up a regular life into something like an anthem. In a way I was thinking about it like Bruce Springsteen, but in a lot of ways my experience of the world couldn’t be less like Bruce Springsteen’s.”
If you like the sound of this and would like to see them live, head over to the Concerts tab on their LetsLoop profile to grab yourself some tickets for their upcoming North America, UK and European tour.
ALSO WORTH CHECKING OUT THIS WEEK:
- Cut Copy — Standing In The Middle Of The Field
- Ducktails (Real Estate’s Matt Mondanile) — Map To The Stars
- EMA — Blood and Chalk
- Florist — Glowing Brightly
- Frankie Rose — Dyson Sphere
- Hinds — Caribbean Moon (Kevin Ayers cover)
- Moses Sumney — Quarrel
- Prophets Of Rage — Radical Eyes
- The Clientele — Everyone You Meet
- Tori Amos — Up The Creek
